April '16 GLOBAL GIRLS

April '16 GLOBAL GIRLS

These ladies are from all corners of the globe and showing us all just how it’s done. Some part-time and some full-time travelers, each of these women has a unique story.
Read about what motivated them to take their first international trip, where their dream destination is and why they believe travel is the best education a girl can get.
Here are our April 2016 GLOBAL GIRL picks!

EMILY MOELL

From a small town in Northern California (which also happens to be my hometown!), Emily started traveling early and has kept her travel bug alive ever since. Her Instagram travel photos are gorgeous and definitely worth checking out!What inspired you to travel?

A couple of days after turning 19, I boarded my first jet at SFO and made the long journey across the Pacific Ocean. I finally landed in the fascinating capital of China, without knowing any Mandarin Chinese, or really much about anything. I had come with the intention of taking a year or two off from school, working as an ESL teacher, and traveling. Miraculously, everything worked out and I am still living abroad in China!

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I’ve caught the travel bug, and I want to go everywhere! If I was to pick one place, I’d choose Scotland. I would absolutely love to go hiking through the dramatic green hills, creeping through the mist as if I was a medieval knight. Plus, I have always admired mysterious castle ruins, and that would be a wonderful place to explore them.

Why is it so important to travel?

Traveling the world has the unique ability to open one’s eyes to what they never might have looked for. For example, I never realized my love for photography and writing until I started traveling. I found I loved sharing my experiences, because no two people can experience a place/day/event in quite the same way. How beautiful, then, to look at life from the eyes of another. Traveling can enable people to learn about themselves as well as other humans. What greater way to promote global understanding, peace, and compassion.

ALEXANDRA TRIF

She is not only one super cool gal, she’s a true travel expert. Alexandra runs a travel agency with her boyfriend. Check out their latest webseries release featuring the best of Romania at Finding Romania.I was motivated to travel when…

I was 12, and I still remember it as if it were yesterday. It was an English Language camp in Croatia. I was so excited that I had the opportunity to discover something new. My best friend and I had the time of our lives, for 12-year old kids I mean. It was the first time I ever came in contact with a foreign person. So the motivation that drove me into doing this was the excitement on one hand, and the English language on the other.”

If I could go anywhere it would be…

Bora Bora, no doubt about it. It’s the place I dream of going in my honeymoon. You’ve all seen the pictures. It’s a once in a lifetime thing. I consider it being one of the most romantic places in the world…the beach, the sun, the experience. I dream about it sometimes.

It’s important to travel because…

It’s a great opportunity to meet new people. And by that I mean two things. One: make new friends, and two: discover their culture, their habits, their way of being. It’s something that you can’t read about. You have to experience it yourself. We are all learning throughout our lives, and the best way to do that is on your own…through the places you visit.

VERONICA PAINI

Veronica is a traveler and cinematographer with major talent! Check out and follow her latest travel videos at Modern Pilgrim on YouTube. Read below about Veronica’s thoughts on travel and why she thinks it’s important for everyone to experience.

I was inspired to travel by…

My curiosity and my father, he was the one that pushed me to go see the world on my own. He would always tell me, “The world is the best University.” That saying eventually became my driving force to travel and I spontaneous booked my first solo backpacking trip to Thailand!

Where would be your dream destination?

I’d love to go to Israel because you are immersed with history.. It’s a land where the stories are told in the cracks on the ground.. to the ceiling of faded frescos.. I’ve read so much in novels, textbooks, and newspapers that I’m wanting a taste of my own.

Travel is important in terms of education because…

Somethings you cannot learn in a lecture hall or in textbooks, that is why global traveling is so important! You get first hand experiences and collect true stories of your own. My ideas, logic, creativity, and lifestyle become deeply influenced from each travel journey I embark.

SUZANNE REILLEY

An avid traveler and a fitness coach, Suzanne is a role model for many women, myself included! I love a woman who can show us all how to stay fit and healthy while traveling. You can follow her at SuzanneReilley.com.What was the biggest driving force to get you to travel?

Well I quit a part time job and realized it was the perfect opportunity to visit my family, take a cross country road trip, and also see friends who I’d been missing SO much! These are things I had been really wanting to do before ‘going portable.’

Where are your top 3 places you have or want to visit and why?

France, so I can learn French, my brother’s place in the Dominican Republic because I hadn’t been there to see his condo yet and I’m a sucker for sunshine and warm weather. Plus, that’s where his wife is from. And the 3rd one…I dunno…I’d go almost anywhere. I love to explore. I guess I’d say the grand canyon. So simple and accessible, but I’ve never been! I also want to spend more time in Red Rocks, one of my favorite climbing spots.

How did taking the leap into solo travel change you?

Well I think it upped my levels of both freedom and responsibility. I haven’t left for the trip yet, but already I’m so excited about all the options right in front of me, all the wonderful people I get to see. I’m excited for me time too! + I’m definitely aware of the added responsibilities and the logistics to work out on my own. But I like the challenge!

SABRINA SACHS

Fellow “Girls Love Travel” member with a kickass blog. She writes in an honest ad entertaining way that keeps you reading on. Go follow her at The Storyteller. What motivated you to take your first international trip and where did you go?

My first international trip was to London. I read so much about the city and I was curious to see it with my own eyes. I ended up moving and living there for 6 years!

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

I’ve asked myself that question last year and decided to follow my dream to travel the world. Right now I am where I want to be, Australia: a country I had dreamt about since I was little.

Why do you think travel is important for people in terms of personal growth and education?

There is nothing that can shape people more than travelling. Formal education is important of course, but being out of your comfort zone, in places where people don’t speak your language or eat different things is a great way to learn about your own limits as well as push your boundaries.

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On August 14th, 2015 I left my life in the United States behind with the intention to never look back. I had the "American Dream" and I woke up from it, to create a new reality for myself. I sought out beauty in a world that was increasingly dark for me at the time and ended up finding more than I bargained for. With only a backpack, I traveled across Europe, South East Asia and then on to Africa. With over 30 countries stamped in my passport, I've become an entirely new version of myself with a broader perspective on what it means to be a woman in today's world. My hope is that by sharing my stories and featuring women like me from around the world, we can inspire others to break down their own internal barriers and go cross a few international borders while they're at it. I truly believe travel can be healing to a troubled soul, empowering to the lost and rejuvenating for the exhausted. Perspective is everything, and I believe in the power of "going global," what about you? SheGoesGlobal.net is a site that started out with my stories and grew into a platform for women all around the world to tell their travel tales of trials and triumph. We all believe that the more you see of the world, the better you can be as a person who inhabits it. Women encouraging other women to grow, travel, evolve- that's what SGG is all about. ---> Read my very first blog post (see "Archives" for August 2015) to learn how this all began.